MAC notebook wi-fi hack

Yes, it’s “Hack a Mac in 60 seconds” and “Macbook easily hacked” and all about the Mac being susceptible to a remote wireless hack that gives the hacker complete access to the local machine.

Is it true? Well, not really. The hack attacks a device driver that is used by some companies wireless cards, and some Mac’s use those cards. Thus, some Macs are vulnerable. As are any PCs using vulnerable drivers. I guess it’s more fashionable to mention “Mac” than “device driver”.

This PR nightmare for Apple comes from it’s smugness – or rather the smugness of the “switch” commercials. The security researcher who deliberately tied the Mac to this security exploit stated that he did so because he was annoyed by the people in the Mac commercials. They seemed too smug about security. Hah. Smugness leads to PR nightmare. Lesson learned?

I didn’t go to Black Hat or DEFCon this year. It’s too damn hot in Vegas, and too darn nice here on the coast.

The video is here. The smugness is evident here. The most factual technical article I found in today’s coverage is here.

Update: I find blogging interesting because it encourages authors to publish before analyzing their thoughts, and sometimes that can be very revealing. If these IT professionals are afraid of Black Hat Briefings, they should take a look at DEFCon. Oh, and shall we say “Mission Accomplished” for raising awareness of security issues?